‘MX VS. ATV UNTAMED’

‘MX VS. ATV UNTAMED’

(THQ) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS

Genre: Racing; Rating: E

Grade: C

Last year, “MX vs. ATV” was “Unleashed.” Now it’s “Untamed.” Thankfully, it’s not “unplayable.”

In fact, if you’ve been a fan of this franchise for the long haul (this is the seventh game in the series), you’ll be happy to find that it’s made the jump to next-gen consoles. This racing franchise doesn’t try to over-extend itself, instead settling to give you a tight set of tracks and options in its single-player mode to provide a rewarding experience.

Even if you don’t have an affinity for ATVs or motorbikes, there are some monster-truck and buggy races to help break up the action (there’s even a golf cart involved, and there’s nothing wrong with that). Most everything is standard here, from creating a rider to taking him to the top of the rankings in all of the racing divisions.

If there is anything lamentable, it is that the controls are getting much more responsive, but equally more difficult. New gamers will have to be patient, for just the slightest touch either way can send you completely off course and into the muck, which is frustrating the first 20, 30 or 80 times it happens.

Though the game has made the next-gen jump, the graphics seem to have stayed back in the PS2 days. The multiplayer options are solid, though, and you’ll have plenty of minigames to keep you entertained. This franchise isn’t the best racing series around, but it does provide a nice alternative to the pavement racing everyone else does.

‘NIGHTS: JOURNEY OF DREAMS’

(Sega) for Wii

Genre: Platformer; Rating: E

Grade: C

You can imagine Sega promoting this as the “feel good” game of the year. It’s almost too gushy for words. “Journey of Dreams” is either going to win you over with its warm, inviting nature or kill you with its kindness and sincerity.

Yet the warm and fuzzy plot of friendship should not keep anyone from playing.

Here you’ll play mainly as two kids, Will and Helen, who enter the fantasy world of Nightopia and team up with Nights, a quirky character, to free Nightopia from the dastardly doings of the evil Wizeman.

Most of the controls are easy to grasp, though you may find that classic controls are much more fine-tuned than the scheme using the Wii’s motion-sensitive controls. Though this is a platformer, most of your time will be spent guiding Nights through the air, collecting items and chasing down enemies crucial to your advancement. Some of the best boss battles in recent gaming help make it a better game than expected.

There are interesting multiplayer race modes, and even an online mode that adds depth. Younger gamers should definitely add this to their library. And this is a title parents would not be ashamed to join in on.

‘JENGA WORLD TOUR’

(Atari) for Wii, DS

Genre: Puzzle; Rating: E

Grade: F

There’s really only one thing to know about this game’s potential to appeal to the masses: It costs twice as much as the real thing.

Yes, to play “Jenga” the video game, you have to spend twice as much as you would going to the store and buying the actual game of stackable wooden blocks. This makes no sense, and is clearly aimed at those who are too bothered by having to restack the blocks after each game.

The environments are ludicrous to the point of annoying. The controls don’t make pulling and placing blocks easy or realistic. The graphics are OK, but that shouldn’t be a selling point to what’s essentially a digital board game.

Nothing seems to work well here, and it’s worth repeating: It’s TWICE the cost of the actual game. Only the truly desperate would take a chance on this.

— Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard